“This is what it means to say Phoenix, Arizona” by Sherman Alexie is about the life struggles of two American Indians named Victor and Thomas Builds-the-Fire. Victor,the protagonist, has not only lost his job but his father as well. With the aid of Thomas he will travel to collect his father’s remains and estate. This story is neatly structured in a standard plot line format, built around the death of and retrieval of Victor’s father and his property.
Through the use of several flashbacks, from the firework show at age seven,when ten and Victor liked Thomas’ stories, at twelve Victor stepped in wasp nest and Thomas saved him,and when 15 and not friends anymore, all the relevant information concerning the struggle and history of the characters is revealed. The story centers around Victor’s difficulty in raising funds to get from the reservation to Phoenix, Arizona. He lives a typical life on the reservation. “Victor didn’t have any money. Who does have money on a reservation.
Victor asks for help from the Tribal Council but only gets one hundred dollars. This is not enough to fly to Phoenix or return with his father’s truck or other possessions, but Victor accepts any way. While getting this cheque cashed, Victor sees Thomas Builds-the-Fire in the Trading Post. Thomas Builds-the-Fire, Victor’s childhood friend, offers to help. “He knew he needed Thomas Builds-the-Fire. ”(131) Victor reluctantly accepts due to the fact that they haven’t been friends for many years.
The Essay on Smoke Signals Victor Thomas Arnold
... at the end of the road. The main characters, Victor Joseph and Thomas Builds-the-Fire have known each other since childhood, they are ... violent father. Now in his twenties, Victor is a quiet young man, still as a rock. After Arlene receives a call from Phoenix ... a life in Phoenix when Thomas and Victor were only 12 years old. Victor seems to be full of hostility toward his father for abandoning ...
Victor remembers “When they were fifteen and had long since stopped being friends, Victor and Thomas got into a fistfight. ”(131) Victor has become the typical American Indian on the reservation. He doesn’t want to be ostracised because he is socializing with Thomas Builds-the-Fire, even though Thomas is the only person that has been there for him time and time again. This shows how much Victor’s character struggles not only with external hurdles, but also internally with his own emotions and with what others think of him.
Thomas Builds-the-Fire’s character is critical. Thomas Builds-the-Fire’s role is to connect Victor with his heritage and help him find his identity. This is evident in the use of his given name Thomas Builds-the-Fire instead of just Thomas. Thomas has struggled most of his life because of his shamanistic qualities and therefore, has more internal strength to draw from in times of adversity. He is considered a shaman,the storyteller. He tells the stories no one wants to hear and yet he continues to tell them anyway.
While at the Trading Post, Thomas notices Victor and processed to pay his condolences. At this moment Victor asks Thomas “How did you know about it? ” Thomas’ response is “I heard it on the wind. I heard it from the birds. I felt it in the sunlight. Also, your mother was just in here crying. ” (130)This exchange is the first of many that occur during their journey to Phoenix that shows Thomas’ strength in knowing who he is as a shaman, and to show that he is a perceptive person, carefully observing the actions of others.
Thomas Builds-the-Fire plays an important part in the story, because his character not only solves the financial or external conflict, but also aids Victors character and assists with his internal struggles this help Victor discover himself, by reminding him of his past. For example, “When Victor was twelve, he stepped into an underground wasp nest. ”(133) and Thomas saves him. Or when they are on the plane flying to Phoenix Victor discovers that Thomas can actually converse well while he on the other hand could not. This is evident during their conversation with a gymnast on the plane.
The journey develops both characters through flashbacks, but the final leg of the trip, the drive home, shows more details about the lives of the characters as well. Victor drives most of the way home, then as soon as Thomas begins to drive he hits in their opinion “The only thing alive in this whole state and we just killed it. ” (134) This shows an ironic similarity to the death of Victor’s father. They feel the emptiness,ugliness, and loneliness of victor’s father’s death being found by the smell alone, then they compare this with the emptiness and loneliness of the desert.
The Essay on Time and Life
According to a popular saying,schooldays are the happiest days of your life. Is there any truth in this? Answers to this question are bound to vary greatly from person to person. A person’s answer will depend on how happy the person’s schooldays actually were and on how happy the rest of his or her life has been since. To give a really true answer to this question you have to be fairly close to ...
By killing the jackrabbit they feel even more despair. This causes them to state that its a suicide by the rabbit due to his loneliness, and not their fault. This act shows another growth in the characters, by showing that they finally realize that life puts obstacles in the way to develop their ability to change. Just like one of the many stories Thomas has told “There were these two Indian boys who wanted to be warriors. But it was too late to be warriors in the old way. ”(131) both characters learn and lean on tradition, but have to change with time to find themselves.
The trip to Phoenix,Arizona moves the plot, but through the flashbacks each Character’s struggles with others and within themselves are displayed. Victor’s Character has grown and will continue to grow in the future. Thomas’ character is the permanent fixture of the cultural life forgotten in time which has not changed. The story concludes with Victor giving Thomas half his father’s remains, both in agreement that they would be spread at Spokane Falls, the place where Thomas’ vision had lead him.
Victor’s father found him there and Thomas learns that he was his vision. “For a long time I was mad because I thought my dream had lied to me but they didn’t. Your dad was my vision. Take care of each other is what my dreams were saying,Take care of each other. ”(133) This shows that even though life changes people’s traditions remain fundamentally rooted. Along their journey to Phoenix,Arizona, Victor and Thomas both share childhood memories through flashbacks which help illuminate both characters personality.
